The Codpiece Topology
The Codpiece Topology is the second episode of the second season of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on September 29, 2008. Summary Penny is dating a new guy, so Leonard jumps at the chance to date Leslie Winkle again. Sheldon hates Leslie and resents being exiled to the staircase to play Mario alone. Eventually, he confronts Leslie about her scientific beliefs and when Leonard doesn't agree with her, she leaves. Extended Plot ﻿The guys return home from the Renaissance Fair, and as usual, Sheldon is badgering them all about historical inaccuracies, including the Bavarian Purity Laws. They pass Penny with a new boyfriend in the Hall, which leads to Leonard wondering (with a little advice from Howard) if he should start dating someone again. The next day, Leslie Winkle asks Leonard out for a full relationship. That night, as Leonard prepares for the date, Sheldon reveals that his mother sent him his old Nintendo 64 with three controllers, a memory card and some games and is assuming Leonard is with him to "rock Mario old-school!" However, Leonard tells Sheldon about the date, forcing him to play Super Mario 64 on an Nintendo 64 emulator on his laptop on the staircase. Penny runs into him and talks with him about Leonard and Leslie being the same. The next night, Leonard and Leslie are having another date, and Sheldon is slightly miffed he has to play Mario on the staircase. After asking Penny to give her relationship with Leonard "the old community college try" Sheldon goes back intothe apartment and gets into an argument with Leslie about String theory vs. Loop Quantum Gravity. After Leonard sides with Sheldon, Leslie breaks up with him. Sheldon tells Leonard to look on the bright side and that it's only another nine months until Comic-Con. At the ending scene, the guys return to the Renaissance Fair (with Sheldon dressed as Spock exploring a planet similar to Earth in the 1500s, though with contradictions and anomalies.) Quotes Sheldon: Everybody has a date. Even you Mario going after Princess Peach. And what am I doing? I'm just enabling you. ---- Raj: What happens in costume at Comic-Con stays at Comic-Con... ---- Sheldon: Oh Mario, if only I could control everyone the way I control you, now hop you fat little plumber, hop, hop! Critics "The Big Bang Theory has good comedy writers. This episode sparkles with fun one-liners, insults and gags. But those writers need to focus on stories and characters which will hook a loyal audience. Sheldon dominating every scene will eventually become tiresome and the wealth needs to be shared around the group. But for now this is a fun episode." - The TV Critic's Review Notes *'Title Reference': The title comes from the quote Sheldon says about the Renaissance Fair being inaccurate to the time period and says it is only held as an excuse to wear a codpiece. *Chuck Lorre's vanity card http://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php?p=217: *Chuck Lorre Productions, #217 Censored "Tonight's vanity card is about censorship. It was censored. As always, you know where to look." Trivia *Sheldon won't go to the movies alone, since no one would be readily available to give him the Heimlich maneuver should he choke on his popcorn. *Sheldon doesn't drink coffee (nor eat Bear Claws), so he finds no lure in coffee shops. *Raj once kissed a man named Richard, believing he was a slave-girl named Kimberly. *Sheldon doesn't like dining alone, because if he has to go to the restroom, there's no one to ensure that no one is touching his food while he's away (which is a grievous offense, and earns one strike with Sheldon). *Apparently the multiple attempts to get Penny to understand Schrödinger's Cat in The Tangerine Factor did stick at least somewhat; she's overheard trying to explain the concept to her new date in this episode. *Several comic book super-villains apparently have doctoral degrees, as Sheldon suddenly realizes after naming Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, and Dr. Sivana. *The deal breaker for Leslie is thatLeonard believes string theory better unites quantum mechanics with general relativity than loop quantum gravity, which she doesn't, so they can't reconcile which theory they will raise their children to accept. Interestingly, four seasons later, in The Parking Lot Escalation (S6E09), Sheldon claims that he is "solely responsible for this university’s six loop quantum gravity ". *Sheldon uses the phrase 'the more the merrier' in this episode. However, in The Gorilla Experiment, he says that more does not equal merry, conflicting his statement in the first case. *For someone who's "familiar with everything", Sheldon obviously doesn't know that the 'Y' in sentences that can be seen at a Renaissance Fair (as in "Ye Olde...") is in fact not a 'Y', but an old English sign for 'th' like in the word 'the'. Thus, it is not pronounced "Ye Olde" but simply "The Old(e)...". Gallery Codpiece Topology.jpg|At the cafeteria Codpiece Topology 1.jpg|Sheldon and Leonard Styairs.jpg|Penny talking to Sheldon Tbbt202.jpg|Renaissance nerds 595px-Big Bang Theory Sheldon as Spock.jpg|Sheldon dressed as Spock es:The Codpiece Topology de:Sex mit der Erzfeindin Category:Season 2 Category:The Big Bang Theory episodes